Serpant's Soul
by Kittyfantaztico
Summary: What would have happened if Death Eaters had discovered Harry's Aunt's house? What kind of life would Harry lead had he been introduced to magic at a young age? An AU fic that radically departs from cannon.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: This is completely AU. This is not a rehash of The Sorcerer's Stone! I love a good rehash as much as the next fanfictionaholic but there are simply too many of them. Readers should also note that this fanfic, and any sequels to this fanfic will contain a bit of Slash. I am one of those completely rational and not at all unrealistic people that believe that Harry and Draco belong together. Of course, they are going to be very young in the beginning of this so it may take a while for that aspect to come into play. On a side note I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER!

_O father, what a hell of witchcraft lies_

_In the small orb of one particular tear._

(WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE)

In The Beginning:

Lilly Potter was not afraid of death. At the age of twenty-three she had faced death, seen it, and even courted it. Her old potions professor had even had the gall to claim that she had a 'death wish'. That was not true. She did not have a death wish, quite the contrary. She longed for life. A real life for her family. They had been in hiding for less that a year and already she felt the seclusion suffocating her. The constant worry and nagging fears kept her awake at night. She often found herself analyzing newspaper articles as if they concealed hidden messages, hints to their enemy's movements. Friends that she had known for years suddenly seemed suspicions. In her more rational moments, when her baby was safely tucked into his crib and her husband held her in his arms she could see that she was slowly loosing her grip on reality. Not that she minded much. There was a need for constant vigilance. In the three months that she had trained as an Auror her instructor had constantly shouted and screamed at her for her lack of it. She wondered what Auror Moody would say about her now. She wondered if he was even still alive. It had recently become necessary for the Order to guard their information and living members with more care. No one was ever told anything unless they absolutely had to be told. In her less rational moments, when her husband was in another room and Harry smiled up at her with his bright green eyes, Lilly felt a bone-numbing fear. She really did see suspicious things in the paper! Words that authors let slip, obituaries with no details given about the cause of death. And she knew that at least one of her friends was up to something. Remus was always looking tired. That in and of itself was nothing new, but he was also coming around less often. Lilly knew that he did not have many friends! And while it was possible that he was away looking for work, or on a mission for the Order, she was suspicions. Every dinner that he missed, every day when nothing was heard from him instilled her with just a little more fear. Peter was just as bad, maybe worse. He looked positively ill most of the time. The rest of the time he looked determined, stoic, a little sad. Sometimes Lilly swore that she saw him shoot Harry guilty expressions. And yet, James would not listen to her! Instead he just defended the little rat! James seemed to think that the stress of the war was getting to him. The only one of their friends that retained any sense of normalcy was Sirius. Sometimes when she caught him smirking after a well executed prank, or mouthing off some joke, Lilly felt the strangest urge to remind him that there was a war going on. In fact she had given into this impulse several times. None of these reminders seemed to have sunken into his particularly think skull. For that she was thankful, it spoke volumes about his innocence. The only other friends that Lilly had had in school were Severus and Alice. She didn't like to think about Severus. Just thinking about him was like taking a knife to her heart. She didn't like to think that he would very likely be one of the Death Eaters that she faced in battle one day. Thinking of Alice was even worse! Alice and her husband Frank were in the same situation that Lilly and James had found themselves in, hiding there son from a madman. One of the boys was 'Chosen'. Lilly spent half of her time praying to every magical and muggle deity that it was not her son that was named in prophesy. She spent the other half feeling guilty for wishing such a fate on the son of her closest female friend, her only female friend. Lilly loved Neville. She just loved Harry more.

And despite all of this. Despite the paranoia and the fear. Lilly would still find herself caught unaware on the night when all of her nightmares became a reality. Her husband screams as she ran with Harry up the stares. Her frantic attempts to apparate, even Harry's tears. They all came as a surprise. As she stood in between her son and a monster, begging for the first time in her life, she knew that she was going to die. Slitting her wrist with a quickly thought cutting curse, Lilly barely had time to smear a streak of scarlet liquid across her son's forehead before an unforgiving green light and a cruel laugh ended her life. This was the first and last time that Lilly Potter truly had a wish for death. A life willingly given, a prophesy evoked, and a child saved. The world would never be the same.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: So far I have not gone too far off of canon. I have tweaked with the blood-protection a little but the other elements were still basically the same. That ends here. As of this moment things take a turn. I have always thought that it was a little odd how all of these hard-core Death Eater's just went into hiding or prison so seamlessly. In my version that doesn't happen. The majority of the Death Eater's don't go down without one heck of a fight. This is the last of the preface type chapters. The next chapter will start out Harry's story. Anyways, please review! I love having people praise/criticize me!

_" . . . treachery and violence are spears pointed at both ends; they wound those who resort to them worse than their enemies."_ (Emily Bronte)

In Absentia:

In the three years following the events on that Halloween night in Godric's Hollow the war had come to a stuttering halt. Many Death Eater's claimed to have been forced into serving their Lord; others went kicking and screaming all the way to Azkaban prison. However, there was a third group. Those loyal Death Eater's that had not been caught. These men and women seethed quietly as "The-Boy-Who-Lived" was praised. They sneered when they heard him mentioned in song, or when they read his name in the _Prophet_. And all the while they searched. Revenge was necessary, and they would not rest until Harrison James Potter was dead.

"Well? Did you find anything or not?" Amycus demanded. Her brother's simple-minded grin was five-seconds away from being slapped off of his face. Alecto winked.

"Did better! I found the kid!" he said in a too-loud voice. He looked around at the others with a smug expression. "It was easy once I found his Muggle relatives." Amycus Carrow, Evan Rosier, and Regulus Black looked at the man in shock.

"Where is he then?!"

"I couldn't get to him." His face took on an expression of exaggerated sadness for a second before turning smug again. "Some kind of Blood-Ward I think."

"You _think_?" Amycus sneered.

"Where is he Alecto?" Rosier cut in. He was already pulling his cloak on in excitement.

"Surrey. A little Muggle house. There're keeping his scar-headedness locked up in a cabinet."

Amycus, who had been rising to her feet, sank back down into her chair. "You're making this up!"

"Now, Amy. Let your brother finish. They had him locked up?"

"Yeah. In a cabinet under their stairs. I saw him though. A more pathetic thing you'll never see. He was all skin and bone! He looked half starved. Anyway, he won't be a problem to capture."

"Good, Amy contact the others. Reg, firecall Bella. Tonight we go hunting!"

***

Regulus felt sick. In his nineteen years he had done many despicable things. He had killed and tortured. He had betrayed his own brother. Despite all this, he still felt sick. He hated his position. He couldn't stop being who he was, and he hated it. At sixteen when he had been promised ultimate power he had jumped at the chance to serve The Dark Lord. He had regretted that choice almost immediately but by then it had been too late. The look that Sirius had given him…. Regulus shook his head to dismiss the memory. His brother was in Azkaban, imprisoned for a crime that he had not committed. Regulus wished that there was something that he could do, some way to help… but the only way to stop being a Death Eater was death itself, and Regulus' guilty conscious was all too potent a reminder of why he feared death. Even with the Dark Lord dead, or at least gone, he could not find another way out. Bella and Rodolphus would kill him for even thinking such treacherous thoughts. He knew that this made him weak. Others had managed to survive as traitors. Malfoy was sitting happy as a clam in his manor behind his own Blood-Wards. Severus Snape, that greasy idiot, was happily ensconced at Hogwarts. Shaking his head to rid himself of these thoughts, Regulus tossed a pinch of powder into the flames of the fireplace. It flared green.

"Lestrange Manor!" he stuck his face into the flames.

"Cousin! You need something?" Bella asked immediately. She leaned in close. Regulus could not help but think that she was slightly mad. She always had a telling glint in her eyes that spoke ill of her sanity. He wondered if she had been sitting in front of the fire waiting for someone to call her. It would seem so.

"Alecto found him! We leave at midnight!" He caught sight of her rapturous expression before he jerked his face out of the flames. Yes, Regulus felt sick. He had to _do_ something. If not for little Harry Potter, then for himself. He couldn't go on any longer. He wasn't like Bella. Regulus had never enjoyed the pain of others, certainly not the pain of children. He was jerked out of his thoughts by Alecto's boisterous laughter coming from the kitchen. He needed to do something. He needed a plan, fast. This was something that he could do for Sirius. His brother loved his little godson. Regulus owed his older brother this much…. He would find a way to save Harry.

"In for a penny, in for a pound." He whispered, remembering the expression as something he had heard Lilly Evens say at school. Perhaps, if he planned things right he would be able to save Harry as well as his brother. In fact, if he was going to die horribly at the hands of his deranged cousin he would provide the Order with as much information as possible about the whereabouts of his fellow Death Eater's. In this way his death would mean something, even if his life never had.

***

Nearly four years had passed since Petunia Dursley had woken up to find her nephew on the front step, but Privet Drive had hardly changed at all. In fact the only thing remarkable about the entire street was the small boy who lived under the stairs of Number Four. Harry was a quiet child. He had learned early on in his stay with his aunt and uncle that everything went better if he didn't say anything. Especially if he didn't ask questions. Usually his aunt would wake him up and he would have time to wash and eat something before she locked him in for the day. Sometimes, when she wasn't afraid that he would ruin anything, his aunt would ask him to do chores. He didn't mind the chores because they got him out of his cupboard. What he did mind was his cousin. Dudley seemed to think that it was his mission in life to pick on Harry. He didn't even bother to wait until his parents were out of the room before hitting Harry over the head and kicking him in the shins. It was because of this more than anything else that assured Harry that nobody cared about him. His aunt had told him that his parents had died in a car crash. All he had left were the Dursleys and they were all horrible to him. Harry suspected that he could die and nobody would even cry. Harry spent many of his hours locked up under the stairs wishing desperately that someone would come and rescue him. Perhaps some long lost grandmother would realize that she had never seen him and come find him. Even when Aunt Petunia told him that he didn't have a grandmother, Harry still wished that one would come. Other times he fantasized about running away. He didn't even have anything to pack up. The only thing that stopped him was that he had no idea where he would go. He had never even been off of Privet Drive before.

November third dawned bright and clear. It was just another day in the Dursly household. The family ate breakfast, and then Harry ate breakfast, before Uncle Vernon went off to work. Dudley was picked up around noon to go stay at one of his friend's houses and Harry helped Aunt Petunia dust off the furniture. It was as he was beating out a kitchen rug on the back porch that he noticed the man. He was stocky and large, and he wore a cruel smile that sent shivers of fear down his spine. Afraid that he would be yelled at if he called for his Aunt, Harry gathered all of his emotion and sent the man a respectable glare, for a five-year old. The man winked and Harry grabbed up the rug and retreated back into the house, locking the door behind him.

Being five, Harry soon put the encounter out of his mind. He forgot to even mention it to Aunt Petunia. He would live to regret that. It was late that night when Harry, lying cuddled on his thin mattress in the cupboard, was startled awake by a woman's scream. His heart pounding, he managed to make it out of his cupboard through sheer force of will. Unearthly reddish light seemed to fill the house.

"Fire." He breathed. From the window in the living room he could see that the entire row of houses across the street was quickly being reduced to ashes. Dark figures were highlighted against the light.

"Oh, dear God!" His Aunt's gasp startled Harry out of his observation of the street. He could hear the sounds of fire engines in the distance. She moved towards the front door as if to open it.

"Don't!" Harry yelled, all of his instincts telling him that opening the door would be a truly horrific idea. It was too late. As soon as the door began to swing open, a blast of orange-colored light flew at his Aunt.

"Petunia!" For the first time Harry noticed his uncle on the stares. Unfortunately, the orange light noticed at the same time and immediately swooped to engulf his uncle. When the light died out Harry looked at his Aunt and Uncle's charred bodies in disbelief. Shock and fear seemed to freeze him in place.

"Hello, Sweet child." A sickening voice said from the open doorway. Harry looked up into the woman's face. He was immediately reminded of the scary man that he had seen earlier. The woman looked just like him. She was wearing a long, black dress and carrying a Halloween mask. "Little, Harry." She took a step towards him.

Now that the door was open, the house was getting hot. Harry choked a little on the smoky air and edged farther away form the woman. It was still very hard to get his body to move.

"We're going to be great friends, little Savior. I'm going to take you home and…play." And then the man that he had seen that afternoon was there, standing next to the woman. He was sweating and covered in soot. Harry had no doubt in his mind that this man had set the fire. That thought seemed to snap Harry out of his panic and the next moment he grabbed up his Aunt's favorite dog figurine off of the coffee table and threw in at the woman's head. It glowed a bright gold for a moment before it hit its target and the woman crumbled to the ground. If the entire night had not been so surreal, Harry might have questioned his ability to render the woman unconscious with a two-inch piece of porcelain. It never crossed his mind that the woman might be dead. As it was, he only began to search frantically for something else to throw. He picked up another figurine and threw it. It didn't glow or hit the man, but flew over his head and smashed into the wall.

The man, who had been gaping in shock at the fallen woman, turned to him with a murderous expression on his ugly face. "You little monster! I'll kill you for that!"

Harry had no doubt that the man could and would do just that, and was greatly relieved when another man in a black dress stormed into the Dursley's home and immediately shot a green light at the other man's back. This new man was wearing his Halloween mask and he wasted no time before rushing at Harry, stepping over the bodies of the others. Harry turned to run, a scream falling from his throat, but the man snapped him up. Strong arms grabbed at his middle. As the man gathered Harry to his chest, Harry got a brief glimpse of the front lawn through the window. Many people in dresses seemed to be flinging colored lights at each other. That was all Harry was able to see before the world went black and started to squish him.

***

Harry stumbled to the ground gasping for air. He felt at his face, relieved to feel that it had not been rendered to mush. A soothing hand rubbed at his back. Finally his breathing slowed, though his throat still stung a little.

"Harry." The man said. Panicked, Harry jerked away and spun to look at the man. He was relieved to see that his Halloween mask was now off. He had longish black hair—almost blue, Harry thought. His eyes were an icy green color and he was smiling weekly. He seemed friendly. Harry looked away from the man and took in their surroundings. They were in some kind of fancy place. He could see the polished floor, and chandelier. Everything looked polished and shiny and very posh. It all made Harry tired. He opened his mouth to ask how the man knew his name but it came out-

"Where are we?"

The man gave a more genuine smile and stood up from his crouched position. "This is my house Harry. Well, one of them. My name is Regulus. I knew your parents."

"My parents?!" Harry moved forward eagerly. "You we're their friend?"

"In a manner of speaking. They were more close to my brother, Sirius. We all went to school together at Hogwarts."

"Hogwarts?" It seemed like a funny name for a school. The man nodded.

"Yes, you'll go there too one day. But we do not have time to speak of this right now. Tonight those people that came to you aunt and uncle's home we're there to kidnap you."

Harry nodded, remembering the woman saying as much. He knew things like this happened he had heard his Aunt Petunia warning Dudley about people like that.

"My Aunt and Uncle!" he suddenly remembered the orange light. "An orange light came for them!"

The man patted Harry's arm. "I know, Harry. I'm sorry. You can't go back there. It's not safe, but I have a plan to keep you safe until its time for you to go to school and learn magic."

That all sounded fine to Harry except--"Magic?"

Regulus nodded, smiling again. "Of course! You're a wizard Harry just like you mum and dad."

"I did magic, I think, tonight. I used it on that woman!" Harry exclaimed, remembering the golden light.

"I wondered…what did you do exactly?"

"I threw a little porcelain dog at her! It glowed and knocked her out!"

Regulus seemed a little surprised. "Hmmm…Well, good job! Now we need to get moving. I'm not sure how long we have before my dear cousin Bella starts trying to get in through the wards. Better to err on the side of caution."

Harry nodded, not understanding.

"Good, follow me!"

***

Regulus was a bit surprised by young Harry. He was even more impressive than advertized. Sure, he had taken out the Dark Lord, but that had been mostly blood protection as far as Regulus could tell. It was something else entirely for someone barely five years old to be able to take out a fully trained Death Eater with nothing but raw magic and a model dog. Regulus found himself extremely curious as to whether or not Amycus would survive. He rather hoped not. Clearing his throat, he led Harry into a large empty room that was reserved for the use of rituals. He had already prepared it for the ritual of _Cruor iunctio. _A circle of runes had been meticulously marked into the floor and the potion was already prepared. It was Dark Magic but Regulus wouldn't be alive long enough for the legality of his actions to matter.

"Now listen, Harry." Regulus could see that the poor kid was a moment away from complete exhaustion. "I have to do some magic. This magic will give you my blood."

"Ew." Harry made a face of disgust, followed by a yawn. He rubbed at his eyes in a manner that Regulus could only call 'cute'.

"Yes, it is rather disturbing, and very illegal and Dark magic. But it is necessary. This magic will make me your third parent…of a fashion." Harry's face broke out into a grin, and Regulus hated himself for getting the kids hopes up. "You wouldn't be able to live with me." Harry's grin slipped away. "Not because I don't want you to! I would love that, but I have to go away soon on a trip, you see." Regulus sighed. "Look, what this Ritual will do is make you as much of a Black as you are a Potter or an Evans. You will have all the benefits of being a Black, and I will make you my heir. Since my brother, Sirius, has been disowned he is only entitled to a small portion of the Black fortune upon my death, the rest will go to you." Harry nodded. Regulus doubted that he really understood though. The kid was barley managing to stand on his own two feet. "Alright, you won't have to do anything. Just sit still and I will take care of everything else. Understand?" Again Harry nodded.

Eager to get the ritual behind him, Regulus crouched down in front of Harry and pulled off his very large shirt. He swallowed back his surprise upon seeing the bruises and that covered the boy's incredibly thin frame. Harry shivered in the draft. "It's alright Harry. After this is done we can both get some sleep and then have a big breakfast in the morning. Alright?" Harry nodded.

"Good, sit here." Regulus led Harry to a space in the center of the runes. "Cross you legs…good. And I need you to stay very still and don't move or fall asleep until I say so."

"I won't."

"Good, this will feel odd." Regulus moved behind Harry and cast a numbing spell on his bony back. "Drink this." Regulus passed the boy a cup of potent blood replenishing potion, which was obediently swallowed. Harry puckerd his lips at the taste. Regulus hoped the added energy of the potion would also help him to stay awake. Ducking behind Harry so that he couldn't see what Regulus was doing, he pulled the ceremonial dagger out of his robes. Stealing his nerves he began to chant and mark the necessary runes into the flesh of Harry's back. Thank Merlin they would automatically disappear when the ritual was finished! As the blood began to drip down Harry's back, the chant came to an end. He swiftly pulled off his own cloak and shirt and sat back to back with Harry. He then began the second chant and cut his right hand. Closing his eyes he held the bleeding palm against his heart as the power began to shift around in the runes. The pain was immediate. A blinding, agonizing, pain that left no part of his body untouched as it searched his blood, his lineage, found all of his weaknesses and strengths. His back flared with a different kind of pain as the runes on Harry's back was transferred to his own. Suddenly the runes were glowing, and the circle lit as if on fire. As the pain receded, Regulus lost consciousness. The ritual of_ Cruor iunctio _was complete. His life energy had been exchanged and by blood-rite transferred.

***

Regulus regained consciousness slowly; it felt not unlike awaking from a deep sleep. His back still stung and he had almost no energy. He knew he would only have three or four days before he would loose all of his energy and die a painful and lingering death. It would be worth it. Shakily he rose to his feet. From the light that spilled in from the hall he could see that dawn had already come and gone. It was likely well into the day. A moan from near his ankles caught his attention. Harry was tossing feverishly in a facsimile of sleep.

"Kretcher!" The house elf appeared with a 'pop'.

"Yes, Master Black! What can Kretcher do?!"

"Kretcher, I want you to take Harry. Get him cleaned up and give him some dreamless-sleep potion. Put him in my room."

"Yes, Master!" Kretcher and Harry disappeared with another 'pop'. Regulus sighed. He had some letters to send, a trunk to pack, and another Dark spell to prepare. He had three days to live, and even less time to finish his plans. He knew Bella wouldn't allow him to die in his bed. Every Black would have felt that ritual. She would know what he had done, and that he had betrayed the Dark Lord. They would all be looking for him, and once they broke the enchantments hiding him they would break through the wards and kill him. He had two days tops. Unless…well, unless the Aurors had managed to capture the others. He had seen some of the Order battling with the others on the lawn. Regulus sighed. It didn't matter. He had to follow his plan. Saving Harry was what mattered most.

Shrugging on his cloak, Regulus made his way to his study. He would write the letters, and then settle Harry into his new home, and then he would give Kretcher the locket. House elves had special magic; Kretcher would find a way to get rid of that vile thing.

***

Albus Dumbledore felt very old. He felt each one of his years as a weight around his neck, weighing him, breaking him. Harry Potter was gone. He had been taken. Stolen away from the 'impenetrable' protections that Albus had arranged four years earlier. By the time that the censors that monitored the Dursley residence had gone off it had been too late. The Order had arrived just in time to engage in a battle with some of the more notorious Death Eaters. Only Evan Rosier and Bellatrix Lestrange had survived. They had since been expediently tried and placed in Azkaban with some of their fellows. Twelve other Death Eaters had lost their lives, including the two Carrows. Forty-seven Muggles had died, Petunia and Vernon Dursley included. Dozens more had needed to be obliviated. The Order had not escaped unscathed. At least seven of his friends had been grievously injured, and Sturgis Podmore had lost his life to fiendfire. And Harry Potter was gone. Albus had arrived at the scene just in time to see a masked Death Eater enter the house. He felt the apparition a moment later. Harry had been kidnapped. What was worse was that Albus had no way of finding young Harry. Not even Severus had proven to have any information other than that he suspected Regulus Black. Albus felt heartbroken. He had failed Harry, and the Potters. He should have placed Harry with a wizard family, or perhaps kept him at Hogwarts and trained him. Now all of that was too late. Albus was jolted out of his self-loathing a moment later by a persistent pecking at his window. A large black owl. Albus recognized the breed. It was a rare breed in England, only used by the Black family. Albus rushed to the window and threw it open. The large bird landed on his desk gracefully, shooting disdainful looks towards a very wrinkled and featherless baby Fauks. Albus quickly detached the letter. It was written on heavy parchment and sealed with the Black family crest.

_Dumbledore,_

_I have not made it a secret over the years that I believe you are a Muggle-loving old fool who should have retired years ago to a far away location. However, now that I have nothing left to loose, including my pride which I lost the moment I bowed down to a madman, I find myself looking at the world from a different perspective. Yesterday, in the early afternoon, Alecto Carrow informed the remainder of the Dark Lord's servants that he had located Harry Potter. The 'plan' such as I could understand through Bella and Amycus' psychotic ramblings was to capture Potter and 'make him pay', through torture, one would presume. Upon hearing their plan I found that I was not so far gone to human decency to allow my own brother's beloved godson to endure such a fate. I therefore arranged to help Potter in anyway that I could. Though, I must admit, rather proudly, that Harry was doing quite well on his own. The Carrow's had him trapped in the house. By the time I arrived he had already felled Amycus. After killing her idiot brother I took Potter to my home. I have since preformed a most ancient and highly dangerous (re: illegal) ritual. He suffered no pain during the ritual and is currently sleeping off its affects. To assuage your curiosity I will tell you that I preformed The Ritual of Cruor iunctio. I trust that you have sufficient resources to discover its effects for yourself. I do not plan to return him to you; if you could be trusted to protect him you would have done so. However, I will put the protection on a 'time-release' so to speak. It will allow him to be discovered just in time for the Hogwarts registrar to find him and send him his school letter. I understand that he has a destiny, and it is simply my intention that he survives long enough to fulfill it._

_On another note, I am thrilled to inform you that my dear Gryffindor brother, Sirius Orion Black, is very innocent. He was not the Potter's Secret Keeper. Perhaps he was at one time, but by that fateful Halloween night Peter Pettigrew had already taken up that mantle. A mantle that he promptly cast at the Dark Lord's feet. It was Pettigrew that betrayed the Potters. Sirius, being the hot-headed Gryffindor that he was, chased after Pettigrew. It was Pettigrew that blew up the street and killed those Muggles. You should also be informed that Pettigrew is an unregistered animagus. He can turn into a rat. A large, ugly, brown rat. I can only assume that he is also missing one of his claws as all that was found of Pettigrew was a finger. I do know that he is alive. Bella received a long letter full of ridiculous pleas for refuge after the encounter with my brother. Bella refused, of course. Perhaps, you could devote some of the time that you used to spend not protecting Harry Potter to searching for Pettigrew. I sincerely hope that your inability to protect Potter was mere neglect on your part and not a malicious act. If this is truly the case then I trust that you will see that my brother receives a __real__ trial, under veritasirum .However, being the jaded Slythern that I am I do not put much faith in hope. Hope is for the Huffelpuffs of the world. Therefore, I am also sending word of my brother's innocence to Cornelius Fudge, Alistair Moody, Amelia Bones, Remus Lupin, and several members of the Wizengamot that I shall not disclose. Perhaps someone will see that my brother receives justice. Sirius is not now, nor was he ever, a Death Eater. A fact that you in all of your wisdom could have discerned by looking at his left forearm. _

_Speaking of justice, I have enclosed a second piece of paper. On this paper you will find a full account of all information I have regarding those who continue to serve the Dark Lord—at least in spirit. I do not know what came of the battle last night, but I trust that the information will be of some use to you. Don't bother looking for me, or Harry. Harry will be protected by the strongest magic I can devise and I will soon be dead. As for the Dark Lord, you should know that I do not believe he is dead. He took certain steps of a most evil and perverse nature to ensure that he would never die. Horcrux, is the term. I believe you must have heard of it as it is rumored that Grindewald had one. Voldemort has more than one. He has several, and they are all quite protected and well hidden. Best of luck in your search!_

_Toujours pur,_

_Regulus Acturus Black_

Dumbledore looked down at the paper in shock. Despite how quickly his heart beat in his chest, some of the crushing despair had been lifted. Harry Potter was alive! There was still hope.

***

Regulus looked down at the little face in awe. He had never seen such a sight. Who would have thought that the sight of a little boy drooling on his favorite pillow would fill him with such warmth? His heart positively ached from it. He had never been so glad for anything than he was that he had saved Harry. Regulus brushed a bit of stray hair off of the boys face. Already the ritual had taken affect. Regulus could see himself in that little face. It wasn't a big change; James and Lily were still there. But then so was he. He could see it in the shape of the boy's cheeks. Harry's lips looked a little fuller, his eyelashes were certainly thicker. He looked almost like he was wearing eyeliner. Perhaps he would grow out of that. Or not, Bella certainly never had. Harry's hair was different too. It lay on his head tamer and had taken on his own blue-black tint. Regulus sighed. He wished that Harry really was his son. Exhausted, Regulus climbed into the other side of the bed and closed his eyes. In the morning he had to explain things to Harry, and let him go.

***

Harry felt really comfortable. Whatever he was laying on was very soft and warm. He didn't miss his cupboard at all. He wished he could stay here forever. Smiling happily, he opened his eyes. Then, quite startled, flew to his feet in the center of the bed. He could see! Nothing was at all blurry! Everything in the fancy green room was bright and crisp. Even the little monster that had just come through the door—

"Ahhhhh!!!" he screamed. The thing was coming right at him! Its ears flopping!

Startled by the scream, Regulus flew awake, wand already in hand. He stared from Harry to Kretcher, confused. "Harry?"

"Monster." He gasped, pointing. Kretcher backed away a step.

"No! Harry, this is Kretcher. He's a house elf. He won't hurt you, tell him Kretcher!"

"Kretcher, not be hurting young Master Harry! Kretcher looking out for young master!"

Harry relaxed a little. If Regulus said it was an elf then he guessed it was ok. He nodded to the little monster. "I'm sorry, Creature. You just startled me. I can see stuff now."

"What do you mean, Harry?"

"I couldn't see things well before. Did you do magic on me?" Harry wanted to know. He really wanted to do some more magic. "Could you show me?"

Regulus couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah I did some magic on you. And I'll show you some more magic after breakfast." Harry was really hungry. When he saw what Creature had made, pancakes and sausages, and biscuits, and jam, and a load of other things that made his mouth water he wasn't a bit sorry to wait. After breakfast, which had lasted only until Regulus drug Harry away from the pastries, fearing that he would get ill, they went upstairs so that they could both have baths and get dressed. Creature had drawn a large bath for Harry. It smelled a bit like flowers and had bubbles on top. He slid into the nice warm bath and played with a little floating boat on the water until his fingers got all pruny and Creature made him get out. Creature then helped him get dressed in a crisp white button-up shirt. It had a symbol of some kind on the pocket, a shield and two grey dogs. He was also given a pair of nice black pants and black leather boots. Creature then brushed his hair with a fancy comb. Harry thought it must be a magic comb because it seemed to have improved his hair quite a lot. After he brushed his teeth, he was led upstairs to a large room full of pictures. All of the pictures seemed to be moving. A bit like TV, Harry thought.

"Harry! Good! I was about to sent out a search party." Regulus smiled at him and pulled him into a hug. Harry hugged back straight away. It felt nice, he could tell that Regulus liked him much more than the Dursleys. Regulus pulled back from the hug a made a sweeping gesture at the room. "This is the Gallery. It is where we hang all of the family member's portraits." Some of the portraits made low comments, or glared at them. Harry thought that they all looked quite mean.

"They move." He said.

"Indeed they do. I understand that Muggle, that is to say, non-magical people do not have portraits that move." Harry nodded in agreement. "I thought not. Now a portrait, which only animates upon a wizards death, contains the personality and a good many of the memories of a person." He led Harry towards a wall. "Harry this is my great uncle of sorts, Lycorus Black."

"Hello." Harry tried. The rather ancient man in the portrait looked down his beaked nose at Harry.

"Pleasure." The man replied disdainfully. It seemed that the man meant something quite opposite.

Regulus cleared his throat. "Hmm…yes. Well, anyway. The portraits of our ancestors, they are your ancestors too now, Harry, are meant to aid the living Blacks. They will be your teachers. Some of them are remarkably sane. They will be able to teach you many things about being a wizard."

"They can teach me magic?" Harry inquired.

"Yes. That is the general idea. Of course you will have to wait until you get to school to actually perform magic. But they can teach you about how magic works, theory is an important part of magic that many all but over look. They can also teach you other things too. Such as culture, traditions, history, and language. All Blacks learn French, its tradition. And Latin will be very helpful to you once you get to Hogwarts. They will also be able to help you out with any talents that you may discover."

"What kind of talents?" Harry suddenly remembered seeing a magician pull a rabbit out of a hat once on TV. He hoped that was a talent he could get.

"Well, there are many talents that have surfaced in the Black family. I had a great, great, great aunt who was a Beast-speaker. She could talk to animals. There were also quite a few Blacks that were Thaumaturgical. They could actually see magic. There have been Parcelmouths, Allurists, and even a few Necromancers. And almost every black has the ability to become an animagus, which means that they can change into an animal. I have the ability, I just never learned how. I think my brother might have though. Now you just might get several of these talents, the ritual not only made you a Black, but it also had the added side effect of loosening your magical pathways. It sort of heighted you're potential. Anyway, this is how it will work. The place I'm going to take you to will probably send you to a school. It's important that you do really well and learn all that you can. Knowledge is power, remember that."

Harry nodded eagerly. This was all very interesting. It was like having a secret. He would try very hard to do exactly as Regulus told him to. He wanted Regulus to be proud of him.

"After you have settled in at your new home Kreture will come to you and bring you a portrait. And he will keep bringing them to you. They will teach you all that they know, I've given them their instructions. Kreture is also going to bring you books and parchment and other things that you might need. It's going to be his job to see that you are fed properly and that you keep up your studies. Understand?"

Harry nodded. "I want to learn!"

Regulus gave him a smile that warmed him down to his toes. "Good, I know you do. I want you to remember to have fun sometimes too though. Promise? Good! Then I have something else to show you."

Harry followed Regulus into another room. There were a lot of books in the room, and a big wooden table. On the table was a black trunk. It was fairly large.

"This is for you!" he set it down on the ground. It was really nice. On the top was the same symbol as on his clothes and on the front was a silver plate that read, '_Harrison James Potter-Black'_. "This is so that you have a safe place to keep all of your things. No one but you will be able to open it. I put some charms and curses on it. And I also put a really strong Muggle-repeller on it, no one who is unable to do magic will be able to see it."

"Wow!" Harry ran his hands over it, thrilled. No one had ever given him anything. Even though he didn't really have anything to keep in the trunk he loved it. Now if he did get things no one like Dudley could steal them.

"Glad you like it!" Regulus laughed. "Now I have already put some things inside-"

Harry didn't wait for him to finish but carefully opened his new trunk. Inside, were several books, clothes, some magical games that Regulus promised the portraits would teach him, and his favorite thing, a stuffed Dragon. It was a deep green color and it had silver on its wings. Harry hugged it to his body happily. He had never had his own toy before! After a few minutes of deep discussion it was decided that the dragon would be named Spikes.

"And now Harry what I have to tell you is really important. Pay close attention. This is a talisman. I made it just this morning."

Harry looked at the necklace closely. It had a fine silver chain, and on the chain was a little circular coin-looking thing. Except that it was too thin to be a coin, and too small. The medallion was also silver. On one side it had the same symbol with dogs on it that everything else had along with some writing. On the other side was another symbol and no writing. This symbol and a shield and two Lions and a stag.

"This talisman does several things. One, it scrambles the wearer's magical signature. That means that you will be able to do magic without anyone knowing. Including the ministry. Two, it has a limited protection spell on it. That should save you from minor injuries. Three, it will protect you from magical locators. Of course, as soon as you hit eleven the third thing vanishes. I made it that way so that you can go to Hogwarts when you're older. Here." Regulus slid the chain over Harry's head. "Always wear this! Never take it off. Alright? Good. Now the fourth thing that it does is protect you from mind-magics. It will stop most attempts to erase your memories and even keep out a reasonably strong _Ligilimens_."

Harry looked at the talisman in awe. He would be very careful not to loose something so important.

"Now there is one last thing that I want to explain to you before we go. Every wizard has two magical inheritances. One around the age of eleven, and one when he turns seventeen. Now you will come into most of your power at eleven, that's why you have to wait until you're that age before you go to Hogwarts and perform magic. This is when you will most likely notice any special abilities. They may take a while to manifest themselves, so be careful. Magic has to be kept a secret, no one can know what you do, understand?"

"I promise." Harry promptly said, hugging the Dragon closer.

Regulus smiled. "Good. Then let's have a big lunch and head out."


End file.
